The Idea of the Millenium

            The word globalization has been repeated over and over again since the start of the new millennium.  I have read a lot about globalization’s impact on business, information sharing, and popular culture.  I didn’t realize globalization’s impact on language until reading chapter 1 of International English in Its Sociolinguistic Contexts.  However, even before reading this section, I would have been able to determine globalization’s effect on language knowing that it has dramatically affected the culture of the world.  One of the most important things that I have learned in this class is the intertwinement of language and culture, so if globalization is changing the world’s culture it must have an impact on language.

            There are two various positions on globalization in specific relation to the English language; these two views are described in depth on page 3.  The homogeny position views the spread of English as a way of unifying the world’s culture.  Some people see the dominance of one language as a way of spreading culture while others believe that this leads to the loss of other languages and reflects “imperialism and colonization”.  In contrast, the heterogeny position is where individuals describe the features of World Englishes as a sign of the pluricentricism that has been brought about by globalization.  The spread of English has resulted in the creation of different varieties of English around the world.  Ultimately, the effect of globalization on the use of English appears to be a combination of homogenization and heterogenization.  On page 3 it states that the impact of globalization on English use is “a fluid mixture of cultural heritage and popular culture, of change and tradition, of border crossing and ethnic affiliation, of global appropriation and local contextualization.”       

            I enjoyed reading the part about the incentives for learning English.  There are three major incentives for learning English according to the text: economic, educational, and mass media incentives (10).  My previous thinking and learning in this course have led me to examine the connections between these three incentives.  Learning English for educational purposes often leads to monetary rewards.  These monetary rewards can lead to the enjoyment of the world’s most popular music, movies, television, and entertainment; all of these categories are dominated by English.  From another perspective, learning English for economic motives or in the work place could expand one’s knowledge and desire for further education.  English is often a requirement move up a company’s hierarchy; moving up the hierarchy leads to more educational and enrichment opportunities. 

            In my opinion, the most compelling part of the text was an idea contained in the summary on page 25.  The first point of the summary suggests that some people feel that a shared language among all cultures is necessary.  This is a super interesting idea to me, and I agree that a shared language across all cultures would connect the world more than ever before.  Imagine a world in which the majority of humans spoke the same language.  More information can be shared than ever before and problems and concerns can be addressed without the worry of language barriers.  I am not advocating for a dominant world language because I speak English; I do not care where the dominant world language comes from.  I just like the idea of having one language to connect citizens throughout all cultures.  However, this idea seems relatively impossible.  There are so many citizens of the world that only speak indigenous languages that do not have access to the resources to learn English or another heavily spoken language.  In addition, the use of only one language would lead to the loss of culture.  As discussed in this class many times, so much of culture is conveyed through language.  The cease of a language’s use would inevitably lead to lost knowledge or cultural customs, especially amongst indigenous peoples.  So instead of forcing people to learn one language instead of another, why shouldn’t people learn two?

            In my ideal world, all people in the world would maintain their current language (no matter what it is) and then learn an agreed-upon second language.  I am unsure of a politically correct way to determine which language should be used for global purposes; I will leave that to the politicians.  This plan would prevent people from losing previous cultures but also still push for an even further increase in global communication.  Obviously it would take a plethora of resources to facilitate a world language but ultimately the benefits would outweigh the costs. 

Week 10: Is 2 cultures better than 1?

I found the “Becoming Black” article to be the most interesting this week.  This article raised numerous interesting thoughts and questions.  I have always been intrigued by the contrasting views of “black culture” by African Americans.  On one side of the spectrum, some black people are insulted by being labeled as having a separate culture from white people and other ethnic groups.  They do not want to stand out from other groups it appears.  In contrast, it seems to me that there is a large group of black people that love having a distinct and separate “black culture”.  This culture is not violent or rebellious but simply different from the general popular culture (one usually dictated by white people).  However, this distinct culture has also led to further stereotyping from whites and other majority groups.  For example, some white people may assume that all black people follow and belong to this unique “black/hip-hop culture”.  This assumption is part of a social imaginary which is described on page 353 as “a discursive space or a representation in which they are already constructed, imagined, and positioned and thus are treated by the hegemonic discourses and dominant groups, respectively, as Blacks.”  The problem with social imaginary is that it leads to black people once again being treated differently than white people.  History has certainly taught us that this is not a good thing.  Another interesting point was raised on page 366 about the potential use of rap in the classroom.   Hip-hop is an undeniably important part to the “black culture”, so shouldn’t it be included in the culture of the classroom?  Although I personally love the rap/hip-hop genre of music, I feel that many of the popular modern songs are inappropriate for use in a school setting.  Many of the song lyrics focus on drugs, drinking, and the extreme importance of money.  Aren’t these the exact same things that most teachers and administrators spend so much time turning their kids away from?  However, I do agree with the statement on page 367 that teachers should keep up with popular culture.  How can teachers connect on a personal level with their students if they’re living in the past?  

            The other two articles were more similar in nature and dealt with the issue of race in education.   In my eyes, the most important take-away of the Kubota & Lin article was the emphasis that “race” is a social construct and not a scientific identifier.  In raw terms, “race” is just a way of grouping people that look similar together.  For example, the majority of Americans and Western European citizens with lighter skin are often simply referred to as “white”.  People in this group of “whites” come from different origins, speak different languages, and have different cultures.  In many cases the only similarity is the color of their skin, which is essentially a meaningless characteristic.  I loved the quote on page 2 that emphasized that 99.9% of human genes are shared.  This is an awesome fact that I will repeat to my students often and hope that they keep in mind.  However, I am not advocating that teachers and students behave like they are color blind.  On page 16, the authors articulate why not recognizing differences is a bad idea.  Teachers need to be sensitive, not color blind.  Differences should be accepted and respected, but they shouldn’t be used to separate students. 

            The final article dealt with the treatment of Arab exchange students in the United Kingdom.  At the beginning of the article, many of the participants believed that citizens of the United Kingdom viewed them as foreign exchange students or simply as foreign.  At the end of the experience, however, multiple participants gave accounts of how they were seen distinctly as Arab or Middle-Eastern.  This often led to racial discrimination and racial profiling.  Although the previous article proved that “race” has no scientific value, this article demonstrated that concept of “race” is still very important in society and can have serious negative consequences (616).  The fear of Middle Eastern people that has resulted from the aftermath of 9/11 has been labeled as Islamophobia (617).  Although people from the Middle East have always faced discrimination, the harassment and discrimination that they faced surged after the tragedy of September 11^th.  This intense racism has made Muslims much more aware of their own identities (621).  Unfortunately, since 9/11, people from the Middle East have been othered arguably more than any other group. 

Our Representations, Their Futures

            Taylor Mendes’ article was one of my favorite readings of the year thus far.  This information will be extremely important and applicable once I begin teaching.  In addition, Taylor-Mendes caused me to pause and critically think about things that I never considered before.  One of my most important questions involves whether or not textbooks are accurate portrayals of culture.  According to most of the opinions in this article, they are not.  The reading measures the attitudes of teachers and students in Brazil towards their EFL (English as a Foreign Language) textbooks.  The students and teachers were to analyze if some groups are shown in a more positive light than others and if some groups are consistently ignored or fail to be shown in examples or illustrations.  11 students and four teachers are used in this study.  Each participant was given an opportunity to voice their opinion, questions, and concerns during personal interviewers with the researchers. 

            The introductory comments of a student named Fatima on page 64 represents much of the sentiment expressed in this article.  Fatima describes the differences in how black people and white people are represented in textbooks.  She wonders why black people are usually depicted as poor and desperate while white people are portrayed as powerful and happy.  Based on depictions in textbooks, some students may wonder if black people are capable of succeeding and if white people can fail.  Unfortunately, textbooks and other classroom resources, and even teachers, can convey these false stereotypes to even elementary school students (65).  For example, a white elementary student may consistently see white people portrayed as rich and powerful and black people shown as poor and helpless.  This white student may begin to think that all white people are rich and all black people are helpless.  These false beliefs often turn into racist attitudes and even discriminatory actions. 

            On the top of page 67, it is briefly mentioned that some people hold the belief that certain groups or people own English and should be responsible for teaching it.  Once again, this idea can be traced back to the use of textbooks and classroom materials.  How often are non-whites shown teaching English?  Why are all of the students learning English children of color?  No group of people is better English speakers than others.  Teachers—especially at the elementary level--need to be aware that their choice of textbooks and example resources could influence how their students view other social and cultural groups. 

            The study in Brazil concluded that white people dominate the positive images in textbooks while black people are typically represented unfavorably.  As teachers, it is hypocritical for us to preach about equality, fairness, and opportunity but then consistently show images of one group being superior to others.  If the given textbooks consistently demonstrate negative stereotypes, it is our duty as teachers to utilize outside resources that portray all groups in a favorable manner.  This goes beyond hanging up posters of Michael Jordan, Malcolm X, or Martin Luther King.  Minority groups need to be able to see themselves as doctors, lawyers, and teachers them.  These images could have powerful impacts and encourage them to pursue higher educations.  Negative images of certain groups will only lead to racism and negative self-fulfilling prophecies.